Killing a Dog is a Misdemeanor, Saving a Dog is a Felony?

April 23, 2001 Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

In the immortal words of Mr. Willie Wonka, "Strike that; reverse it."

But unfortunately, that's not the case.  Pre-trial hearings are scheduled to begin in the case of John Christoffel of Dakota County, in which felony charges may be brought against Mr. Christoffel for trying to save a dog's life.

At the same time, the man accused of killing the dog is facing only a misdemeanor charge (that man's name has not been released).

On December 17, a 2-year-old German Shepherd/Husky came home with a cut paw.  A woman who had been temporarily caring for the dog telephoned the dog's owner, telling him the dog was hurt.  The owner sent a family member to deal with it.

This family member decided that the best solution was to kill the dog, so he took the dog into the garage and started beating it in the head with a sledgehammer.

He told Inver Grove Heights police, "I took it upon myself because my father-in-law's been talking about bringing it to the humane society to have the dog put away...I just figured, hey, this is the cheapest way out."

When the woman heard what was happening, she rushed out to try to stop him, but she was unable.  She then ran to her next-door neighbor, Mr. Christoffel, to get his help.

Mr. Christoffel ran to the scene and yelled at the man, but the man threatened Mr. Christoffel with the sledgehammer.

The police were called, and in the meantime, Mr. Christoffel ran home, grabbed a .22 calibre rifle and returned to the garage, telling the man, "You want to play games? We'll play games."

For that, Mr. Christoffel is being charged with felony assault and making terroristic threats.

John Christoffel

Mr. Christoffel's attorney Larry Levinthal  said, "Sometimes, the law seems perverted... One is facing time in prison for trying to protect the life of a friend. And one receives no more than a traffic ticket for this killing."

Once again, as Mr. Wonka says, "So shines a good deed in a weary world."

Editor's note: Last Wednesday, the Minnesota Senate passed SF0197, making animal cruelty a felony offense, by an overwhelming vote of 48-13.  Its companion Bill HF1330 is still pending.

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